She Has Lived Legally In The U.S. For 19 Years. Now The Trump Administration Wants Her Out

posted by Martin Pineda | 78.60sc
November 07, 2017

Maria Elena Hernandez is one of about 5,300 Nicaraguan immigrants set to lose temporary protected status in 2019.

"Maria Elena Hernandez, a 58-year-old immigrant from Nicaragua, has lived legally in the United States for 19 years. She has family here that she sees daily and a job as a janitor. She is active in her union and volunteers.

Hernandez was at work Monday evening when she received a call from a union organizer who warned that her whole life could soon fall apart. The Trump administration announced that it is ending the temporary protected status that has allowed Hernandez and about 5,300 other Nicaraguan immigrants to remain in the country since 1999. They now have until January 2019 to either find a legal avenue to stay in the country or get out.

Hernandez felt betrayed.

“I was expecting more empathy, more comprehension of all of the good that we contribute to the economy and to the culture here in this country,” Hernandez said, speaking through an interpreter."